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Monday, April 11, 2016

Superman vs Batman should've been several different really good movies.

DC just took a bunch of comics, put them in a blender, and called it a story.

Many scenes work well for comic fan service if taken out of the context of this movie. I will watch the extended cut to see if they really took out important story elements that the theatrical cut is missing.

If the entire movie took place in the dream?/flashforward? of Batman in the destroyed city and a dark Superman I would've been truly impressed. I mean it, that could've been one scene in a movie of amazing scenes, but instead it should've been on the cutting room floor because it served no purpose.

The movie has some fundamental story problems that would have been solvable if someone just gave a damn. This movie is told as a series of; this happens then this happens then this happens. At no point is it; this happens and therefor this happens which causes this to happen. No cause and effect at all.

One example is the title fight between Batman and Superman. The stated reason for the fight is Lex holding a hostage. Does Lex, one of the most brilliant villains in comics, bother to verify that they actually fight? No he doesn't. If Lex had cameras watching the fight it would've explained why Superman fights instead of flying around like he does at lots of other times. But how could Lex have cameras at some random location you might ask? He has a bunch of kryptonian drones from the first film at his command doesn't he? Wouldn't that have been a cool visual? And that would have allowed Batman, The World's Greatest Detective, to figure out that Superman didn't want to win this fight and at the last moment, when Superman was resigned to dying at his hands, ask Bruce to "please save his mom." No need for "Martha" or the millionth shooting of Batman's parents or tomb visits. Both actors could've really delivered on their acting abilities instead of causing my girlfriend to laugh (again) at an important moment. Think about the look of resigned defeat on Henry's face as Ben get's to unleash his award winning acting chops showing realization and sudden conviction that Superman is just like him, and even more that Bruce Wayne needs to become a mentor to young Clark Kent. The veteran of twenty years fighting evil could help the new guy overcome his horrible missteps that have lead to him being hated and feared! Like Elliot, he could help protect and save his new alien friend.

So much of this could've been fixed with the cutting of entire scenes and a few reshoots. I want to talk about what I liked but can't because this movie had Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman and wasted all of them. All three actors did well. Batfleck had some truly amazing moments. The script and the 30 minute CGI climax wasted all their hard work.